Heel machine



F. ASHWORTH HEEL MACHINE Aug. 9, 1932.

4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Sept. 4, 1923 Aug.' 9, 1932. ASHWQRTH 1,870,353

HEEL MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 4, 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2,

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F. ASHWORTH Aug. 9, 1932.

HEEL MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 4, 1923 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Aug. 9, 1932 unit rresrnrsur cries FRED ASHWORTH, or WENHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASEIGNOB TO uNI'rnn SHGE MA- CHINERY CORPORATION, or PATERSON, NEW JnRsnY, A CORPORATION on NEW JERSEY HEEL MACHINE Original application filed September 4, 1923, Serial No. 680,750, and in Canada April 4, 1923. Divided and this application filed September 15, 1930. Serial No. 481,836.

This invention relates to heel machines and is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine capable of automatically positioning a heel for a breasting operation, breastsing the heel, and discharging the breasted heel.

An important object of the invention is to increase the certainty, accuracy smoothness and speed of operation of machines in which iailieel blanks are delivered from a position where an operation, such, for example, as compressing, has been performed upon them and are, without loss of control, subjected to a subsequent operation, such, for example, as It. breast-ing.

With the foregoing in view, the invention provides, in combination with a support upon which a blank may be held during a breasting operation, a blank-positioning device which 2: 1 is operable gently to position a blank upon Fig. 3 is a front elevation, showing parts of the heel-feeding mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the breasting mechanism from a viewpoint different from that of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the heel support;

Fig. 6 shows a detail of the feed-chain driving and controlling mechanism;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section of the breasting-knife mounting;

8 shows a detail of means for adjusting the position of the breasting knife; and

Fig. 9 shows a detail of the mecha ism for positioning a heel with respect to the breasting knife.

Referring now to the drawings which illustrate the breasting mechanism as applied to a heel-compressing machine, indicates a conventional type of frame similar to those com- 79;

the support and thereafter suddenly to remove the blank from the support after it has been operated upon.

monly use for commercial heel compressors. A stationary heel-seat-forming die 22 is supported in the frame 20. The heel-seat die In accordance with a further feature of 251 the invention, there is provided an improved breasting mechanism comprising a stationary breasting knife, means for forcing a heel upon the knife, and mechanism for feeding a heel to operative position with respect to said means. In the illustrated machine a back gage is provided for locating the back of a heel accurately in predetermined relation to the ln'easting tool, together with means for withdrawing the back gage to permit a breasted heel to be discharged rearwardly by the sudden operation of the positioning device hereinbefore referred to.

These and other advantageous features and details of the invention will best beunderstood and appreciated by reading the following detailed description of one successful practical embodiment thereof in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view from the rear of the machine, showing the improved breast ing mechanism arranged in co-operative relation to a heel-compressing machine;

Fig. 2 is a central vertical section on a plane extending from front to rear of the 2 machine;

cooperates with the usual compressing mold comprising a breast die 26 and side dies 28 7 carried by a cross head 30 which is mounted to reciprocate vertically on suitable guides in the frame 20. Reciprocation of the cross head is effected by the usual toggle mechanism 32 operated by a connecting rod 34 from the crank shaft 36 which is the main driving shaft of the machine. Further detailed description of this mechanism is unnecessary inasmuch as it is already well known in the art.

The rear end 56 of an ejecting lever 52, pivoted at 5% to the cross head 30, engages and operates the depending stem 58 of the heel-ejecting member 60 of the compressing mold. The lever 52-is operated at the proper time by a rod 62 which passes through a stationary friction device 64:, in co-operation with the vertical movement of the pivot 53%, so that when the cross head 30 descends a compressed blank will be ejected from the mold, permitting an uncompressed blank to be fed to compressing position.

Arranged at opposite sides of the compressing mold and extending from the front to the rear of the machine is a pair of endless feed 1 chains 66. At the front of the machine each of the chains 66 is engaged by a driving sprocket 68 which is secured to a vertical shaft 70. Each shaft 70 is supported in a bearing carried by a housing member 7 2 which, in turn, is mounted to swing through a limited are about the axis of a vertical shaft 74 (see Fig. 6). The two housing members 72 are carried by the cross head 30 and are connected to swing simultaneously and equally toward and from each other by segmental gearing 76, one of the housing members 72 being provided witha laterally extending arm 78 which is operated at proper times .by mechanism which will be described hereinafter.

Each sprocket 68 is geared by a chain 80 to a co-operating sprocket 82 which has rigidly secured to it a gear 84. The two gears 84 are so connected by a pair of gears 86 that they run at equal speeds in opposite directions.

The driving of the gearing 84, 86, and ultimately of the feed chains 66, is effected by the following mechanism, A rod 88 (see Fig. is guided for vertical slidingmovement in a bearing 90 formed in a stationary bracket 92 secured to the machine frame T he upper end of the rod 88 is in the form of an enlarged plunger 94 forming a shoulder 96 arranged to engage and be stopped in its downward movement by the topof the bearin g member 90. Rack teeth 98 cut in one side of the plunger 94 engage a spur gear 100 to which is secured a bevel gear 102 meshing with a bevel pinion 104 carried by one member of a one-Way clutch 106, the upper end of which is in driving engagement with one of the gears 84. Upward movement of the rod 88 and the plunger 94 is limited by an adjusting nut 118 threaded upon the lower end of the rod and secured in adjusted position by a lock nut 120.

The operation of the mechanism just described is as follows W hen the cross head 30 rises, the plunger 94 is carriedupward until the nut 118 on the lower end of the rod 88 engages the lower end of the bearing 90. Any further upward movement of the cross head results in rotation of the gearing 100, 102, 104 and the clutch 106. his rotation is in the direction in which the clutch is inoperative-to transmit power, and consequently the feed chains 66 are neither advanced nor retracted.

On the downward stroke of the cross head 30 the plunger 94 descends until the shoulder 96 engages the bearing 90 whereupon the continued downward movement of the cross head causes rotation of the gearing 100, 102, 104 inthe direction to cause engagement of the clutch 106. Through. the power-transmitting connections already described this causes the inner stretches of the feed chains 66 to be advanced from the front toward the rear of the machine.

at the back of the machine, the rear end of the link 122 being surrounded by a spring 126 which tends to 'move the link rearwardly. The lever 124 is fulcrumed on an upright stud 138 secured in a bracket 128 projecting from the rear face of the cross head 30 by a set screw 139, and the inner end of the lever is geared to anarm 130 also fulcrumed in the same bracket. On the upper side of the lever 124 is a U-shaped member132 into which are adjustably threaded two set screws 134 the line joining the points of which is slightly eccentric to the axis about which the lever 124 moves. A swinging arm 136 is also pivoted upon the stud 138 and is provided with a depending ear 140 the lower end of which is positioned between the points of the set screws 134. From the foregoing it will be understood that oscillation of the lever 124'will cause the arm 136 to swing about its pivot138 and that the limits of movement of the said arm may be varied by changing the adjustment of the screws 134.

The outer end of the arm 136 has a bearing 142 for an upright stud 144 upon which is pivoted a swinging fork 146. A set screw 148 is arranged to engage the stud 144 and secure it in thearm 1 36. 'An' adjustable stop screw 149 is threaded through the fork 146, a lock nut 151 being, provided to secure it in adjusted position. The point of the screw 149- bears upon a portion of the arm 136, providing for angular adjustment of the fork 146 relatively to the arm. The fork 146 carries a freely turning idle sprocket around which the corresponding feed chain 66 passes, and the angular adjustment of the fork is for the purpose of tightening the chain.

Movable with the arm 130 is a swinging arm 150 which corresponds to the arm 136 and is provided: with an enlarged end 152 in which is secured a stud 154upon which is pivoted a fork 156 corresponding to the fork 146. The fork 156 is provided with an idle sprocket for the other feed chain 66, and a set screw 158 has a function similar to that of the setscrew 148. An adjusting screw 153 threaded through the fork 1'56 bears against a portion 157 of the arm 150 and providesfor tightening the second feed chain 66. By reason of the gearing together of the levers 124 and 130 the arms 136 and 150 are caused to move equally toward and from each other and, by the link connection 122, a corresponding simultaneous movement of the housings 7 2 is effected. The practical result is that the feed chains 66 are maintained in parallel relation and are moved at suitable times toward and from each other to engage and release blanks which are between them.

The mechanism ust described is operated in proper time relation to the compressing mechanism by a earn 160 (see Fig. 1) on the crank shaft 36 which engages a roll 162 in one end of a cam lever 164 which is pivoted at 166 to a stationary bracket l68-bolted to the machine frame. The opposite end of the lever 164 is connected by an adjustable link 170 to a horizontal rocker arm 17 2 secured to the shaft upon which the arm 130 is mounted. The cam 160 is so formed that, as the cross head 30 descends and a blank is deposited between the feed chains 66, the feed chains are moved toward each other until they firmly which ejector is at this time in its elevated position. The approaching movement of the feed chains which causes them to engage the blank also causes them to engage the previously compressed heel which has been ejected from the mold by the plate and transfer it from compressin position to the breasting mechanism, which will presently be described.

Bars 174 between the two stretches of each of the chains 66 afiord rigid supports for said chains against transverse yielding and insure the maintenance of firm engagement between the chains and the blanks. These bars are mounted upon the chain carriers and partake of the movements of approach and separation of the chains. During the neXt upward stroke of the cross head 30 the feed chains separate, releasing the blanks, and, the plate 60 descending, the blank which rests thereon is deposited in the compressing mold a where it is compressed in the usual manner.

As has already been indicated, the illustrated machine is arranged to compress heel blanks and then to breast the compressed blanks. The breasting mechanism and its relation to the compressing mechanism will now be described.

To the rear portion of the cross head 30 is secured an upright frame 190 which moves up and down with the cross head. V-shaped surfaces 192 formed on the side members of knife holder by draw bolts 206 which pass porting each edge of the breasting knife and each of the blocks 216 has a shoulder 222 against which an edge of the breasting knife is drawn by the heads of two of the bolts 206.

The two pairs of co-operating wedge blocks provide means for regulating the position of the breasting knife in a direction transverse to its cutting edge and, being independently adjustable, they also provide for varying its angular position in a horizontal sense. Each of the wedges 218 has threaded into its upper end a screw 224 the head of which engages in a slot formed in the front side of the knife holder 196, the screws 224 serving to control the adjustment of the wedges. It will be understood that the adjustment of the wedges is effected with the nuts 210 slackened. The said nuts are then set up to secure the breasting knife rigidly in its adjusted position. A portion of the knife holder projects forward, as shown at 228 and adjustable knife stops 230 are threaded through the projection. The stops 230 determine the vertical position of the breasting knife. Gibs 234 on the face of the knife holder form ways to receive a chip guard 236 which is freely movable vertically in the said ways but is prevented from dropping out by lugs 238 bent from the body portion of the guard and resting upon the upper ends of the gibs. The guard is provided with a shield 240 which fits the space between the guard and the breasting knife, preventing chips from being jammed in the said space and causing the chips to be discharged clownward in front of the heel support, presently to be described.

A cylindrical plunger 242 operating through a spring-pressed friction sleeve 244 serves as a yielding presser foot to hold a heel in position while it is being breasted. The friction sleeve is mounted in the knife carrier and is, therefore, stationary. A rod 246 extends upward from the plunger 242 and its upper end is engaged by the vertically reciprocating frame 190 to return the plunger to its initial position when the cross head 30 descends.

After a compressed heel is removed from the compressing mold it is transferred by the chains 66 to breasting position where it is deposited on a heel support 248 mounted upon the cross head 30. The position of the heel with respect to the breasting knife is determined by a fork-shaped backgage 250 carried by a supporting member 252 and adjustable forward and rearward thereof by means of a-screw'254 which isthreaded into the secured to the shaft 17 3. It will be apparent that the rocking of the shaft 17 3 will cause the cam 260 to oscillate and consequently the supporting member 252 and the back gage 250 to riseand fall. The purpose of this movement of the back gage and its support is to present-theback gage in'position to locate theheel for the 'breasting operation and then tolower the back gage sufficiently to permit the breasted heel to be discharged over it.

Inasmuch as the back gag-e 250 is relatively low and in order to, prevent heels from acci- P-dentally passing over it or otherwise failing to be properly'located by it stops 264 are adjustably mounted upon the bars 174 and are so arranged that the rear curved end of the heel will engage them at-or slightly before the vf time when the heel has reached the back gage 250. These stops are of substantial height andJare sufficient to prevent the heel from being' accidentally carried past breasting position. After the feeding movement of the fi chains 66 has stopped the chains separate,

carrying the stops 264 with them out of engagement with the heel which is left in very nearly, or exactly, proper position to be breasted. I

In order to insure that the heel shall be positioned with the utmost precision a striker 266 is pivoted at 268 and provided with; heel breastengaging members 270. The striker operated at proper times by mechanism which will now be described.

Abracket 27 2 bolted to themachine frame carries two stationary cams274 and 276. An arm278 secured to the striker 266 carries a cam roll 280 arranged to engage the 5 mm 2'74 and held against the cam by a spring 282. A latch 284 is pivoted at 286 in the cross head and is controlled by a cam roll 288 which engages the cam 276. ,l \Vhen the cross head starts to rise the latch 's held out of engagement with the arm 278 by the cam'276 until the roll 280 has passed into the low part of the cam 27st, permitting the spring282 to operate the striker 270 gently to engage the breast face of the heel and position it accurately against the back gage 250. The striker 2170, being arranged to engage the heel breast at separated points,

orients the heel as well as positions it Ionis retracted andthe latch 286i ishooked over] 2 the end of" the arm 278, locking the striker in its, retracted position where it remainsduring the breasting operation.

When the crosshead descends the striker is held retracted hy'the latch 28 until the roll 288 reachesthe rise on the cam 276 whereupon the striker is unlocked and is operated suddenly by the spring 282, striking the heel a sharp blow and knocking it into the discharge chute 290. At the time when the striker is released by the latch 28% the roll 280 is out of engagement with the cam 274 and its position is such that itmoves into the low part of the said cam as the striker operates. In the linal position of the descent of the cross head the roll 280 rides upon the lower rise of the cam 274 a ain retractin 7 I:

the striker 270' to inoperative position.

In order to control properly the timingof the descent of the back .Q'age 250 and the sup porting member 252 a slidable rod 292 is arranged to engage the member 252 and maintain it in elevated position after it has been arm of the lever engaging the rod 292 and a horizontal arm being drawn upward by a spring 300. A stationary pin 302 projects from the rear face ofthe knife holder 196 and is arranged to be engaged by the horizontal arm of the bell crank lever when the cross head 30 reaches the upper limit of its movem ent. This causes the rod 292 to be retracted, permitting the back gage to descend suiticiently to allow the breasted heel to be discharged over it.

The general heel machine combination dis closed, but not claimed, herein is claimed in my co-pending application Serial No. 660,750, filed Sept. 4, 1923, of which the present application is a division.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a heel machine, the combination of means for supporting a blank for an operation, a movable blank positioning device, and means for operating the positioning device gently to position a blank upon the sup- I port andvthereafter suddenly to remove the blank from the support.

2. Ina heel machine, the combination of a breasting, knife, a support for maintaining a heel in breasting position, a gage for determining the position of the heel with respect to theknife, a striker arranged to engage the heel opposite the gage, and means for operating the striker gently to position the blank against the gage for thebreasting operation, and thereafter operating the striker suddenly to remove the breasted blank.

3. Inna heel machine,the combination-of a stationary breasting knife, means for forcing a heel upon the knife, and mechanism for feeding a heel to operative position with respect to said means.

4. In a heel machine, the combination of a stationary breasting knife, power-operated means for forcing a heel upon the. knife, and automatic means for removing the breasted heel from breasting position.

5. In a heel machine, the combination of a stationary breasting knife, vertically movable mechanism for forcing a heel upon the knife, and means upon said mechanism for feeding a heel to a position under the knife.

6. In a heel machine, the combination of a stationary breasting knife, a heel support movable toward and from the knife, a yielding presser foot sustained in a stationary friction moun ing in a position to be engaged by a heel upon the support as the support moves toward the knife, to hold the heel while it is being breasted, and means for returning the presser foot to initial position after the heel has been breasted.

7. In a heel machine, the combination of a gage for locating a heel blank for an operation, a blank positioning device constructed and arranged to be moved into engagement with a blank adjacent to the gage, and means for moving the positioning device. first into engagement with the blank to position the latter against the gage, then away from the blank, and again into engagement with the blank to remove the latter from operating position.

8. In a heel machine. the combination of a tool for operating upon a heel blank, a vertically movable support for sustaining a heel in position to be operated upon by the tool. and a combined blank positioning and removing device o erated bv movement of the support to position the blank during the upward movement of the support and remove the blank during the downward movement of the support.

9. In a heel machine. the combination of a pair of feed chains arranged to engage opposite edges of a heel b ank and feed it to an op ratin osition. mechanism for movin the chains into and out of engagement with the ed es of a blank, and stops mov able into and out of the path of the blank s multaneouslv with the movement of the chains into and out of en ga reorient with. the ed ores of the blank.

10. In a heel machine, the combination of a relatively movable heel support and breasting knife, and means for removing achip severed bv the knife in the direction of the out made by the knife.

11. In a heel machine, the combination of a breasting knife, a heel support, and a chip guard in front of the knife constructed and arranged to cause the chip severed by the knife to be discharged downwardly in front of the support.

12. In a heel machine, the combination of a breasting knife and a mounting constructed and arranged to maintain the knife in any selected one of a plurality of positions transverse to its cutting edge and any selected one of a plurality of horizontal an gular positions.

13. In a heel machine, the combination of a breasting knife, a stationary adjustable mounting arranged to provide support for the knife in various horizontal angular positions relatively to said mounting, and means for clamping the knife rigidly to the mounting in any of its positions of adjustment.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

FRED ASHWORTH. 

